Jamie Lee Curtis presented Cate Blanchett with the Desert Palm achievement award at last week’s Palm Springs International Film Awards. So the two decided to drive together from Los Angeles to Palm Springs. It sounds like they should’ve turned the road trip into a buddy movie, according to both their speeches at the event. The start of their adventure began with an argument over who was the better driver, which stands, of yet, unresolved. Cate had the last word on stage that she is, in fact, the better driver. But Jamie contents it is not possible for Cate, an Australian, to be a better driver than she, an Angeleno, on her home turf, doing a run to the desert, that she’s done in every form of consciousness.
Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis can’t agree on which of the pair is better at driving.
At the Palm Springs International Film Awards in Palm Springs, Calif. on Thursday, the actresses explained together how their road trip east of Los Angeles made them almost miss the event altogether as Curtis, 64, presented Blanchett, 53, with the Desert Palm achievement award.
“I made a condition that we drive together which immediately became an achievement competition of its own as [Blanchett] claims to be a great driver and I had to remind her that I am born and raised in the f—— city of angels,” Curtis told an audience of the decision to drive with the TÁR actress to the event.
“I’ve been to Palm Springs and back, high and not high, I’ve gone to Hadley’s and had a date shake a million times,” the Everything Everywhere All at Once actress added during her presentation.
“And so, although I’m sure there are many, many things that Cate Blanchett can say about herself, and she may be under some delusion that her top three includes driving, I will beg loudly to differ…”
As Blanchett took the stage for her acceptance speech, she offered a different perspective on her own driving abilities.
“I think you should do my eulogy and for the record, I’m the better driver,” Blanchett quipped to Curtis and the audience. “It’s a fact.”
I love that one of the top three skill-sets Cate lists is driving. Of all the things she demands to be known for. And here’s Jamie Lee Curtis trying to swipe that crown. I get the impression this argument went on the entire trip, too. Apparently it was driving and packing, Jamie objected to what and how Cate packed for the trip. I’m adding Roadtrip with Jamie and Cate to my Bucket List. These petty bits give me life.
As for the driving qualifications, I have no idea which lady wins out, but I do know that Jamie’s “born and raised in the f—— city of angels,” argument crumbled before she got to the end of it. Angelenos are a menace to the road and whatever else they chose to drive on that day. Just because we must do it all the time doesn’t mean we are any good at it. We’re just angrier and more eager to get the hell off the road by any means necessary. Now, I’m not saying Jamie isn’t a wonderful driver, I don’t know, she’s never invited me anywhere *ahem*. But being born and reared in the shadow of the 405 isn’t the argument she thinks it is. However, if Jamie and Cate would like me to weigh in on who’s the better motorist, I’ll buy the date shakes at Hadleys.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Mmm… date shakes at Hadleys. My gma lived in the desert for many years and every time us grandkids went out to her place we’d hit Hadleys coming and going.
I am #TeamJamieLee for that alone 😀
We live in SoCal-and we always stop at Hadley’s for date shakes on the way to the desert !
I don’t love driving. I’m a good driver but I’m a careful one. There is no reason to speed (ever!) or to try and intimidate others at 160km/h. I don’t own a car anymore so my skills always need a day or two. I did a road trip in California this year and had to drive in SF and LA. When I tell you I aged 5 years driving in LA …. the absolute shitshow that is the surrounding area of LAX. I parked the car and yelled “NEVER AGAIN!” The upside is that I can now drive in any German city at any given time of day and not sweat it. Greece is another matter. LOL
So I don’t know how JLC defines “good driver” but LA drivers aren’t it.
That is one weird looking award, lol.
Barbara, I thought the same thing. Looks like a summer camp craft project with macaroni.
I would love to join a road trip with these two hilarious women. Oh, the stories they could tell!
I honestly looked at the photo from several angles trying to figure out what she was holding. At first, I thought it was some strange flowers but then I figured out it must be the award. So ugly.
Can’t decide if it’s meant to look like a snake circling a cactus or curly fries around a cucumber 🤷🏼♀️
I’m guessing Chihuly designed it.
EDIT: Yup. Looked it up. It’s Chihuly.
I would pay to see this movie.
Last night, my 19 year old got back from 4 days in LA and one of the first things he said was the traffic and the drivers were terrible. He’s a Texan, though, and he complains about every driver who isn’t from Houston, so I’m not sure if that is more a statement about other drivers or his own driving arrogance.
I would absolutely watch a buddy movie with these two.
I haven’t been to LA, but I have been to NYC, DC, and some other large cities, and I also lived in Houston, and Houston drivers are quite bad and aggressive too, not to mention frequently armed and prone to murderous road rage.
Houston drivers are almost as bad as LA! And the fact that I hear, “feeder” everyday (frontage road) sends me spiraling lol.
Yes Tessa!
Mabs – when I first moved to TX, I thought it was pronounced “front-ahhhhz,” like fromage (French for cheese) and that was the longest road I had ever seen. We called them feeder roads where I came from and frontage was a new one for me.
Well shut my mouth lol! I’m a frontage or access chick. But I live in Texas so I get my panties in a bunch a lot. There’s this road in Pasadena spelled Tater. I kid you not, EVERYONE says Tarter. I’m like wtf?
I live in Houston (suburbs now, but I drive into the city for work 2-3 times/week and lived in the actual city until about 5 years ago) and I can confirm, we are the worst. Too many cars, too many people, too much rage, not enough patience. It’s dangerous out there.
houston drivers are some of the worst drivers on the planet!
signed, a Texan
As a native Angeleno driver here I love getting into these driver arguments, “good naturedly’ of course. In my opinion, those bad drivers are imports from other areas of the country bringing their attitude or keeping to their hometown style it driving. 🙂
Same! Born and raised in Los Angeles (a rarity in this city) and every “native” that always complains to me about traffic and driving in LA… isn’t originally from here.
“Oh I’ve lived here for over five years” is a phrase I hear a lot when I ask where they’re from…
Agree, most of the people I know who complain aboit LA drivers aren’t from here, and a lot of the aggressive drivers I’ve been around are from the upper East Coast.
LA drivers are just fast, but that doesn’t mean they lack courtesy.
as a native Southern Californian, now living in The Bay Area, I will say that Angelenos are extremely comfortable in our cars – we are driving mofos cuz we spend a lot of time doing it. For that same reason, we get fed up easily and can be pretty cavalier about making that quick exit or lane change happen at the drop of a hat.
I’m a native Washingtonian, and the one time I visited LA and drove on the freeway I was like, this is what all the fuss is about? This isn’t that bad! Then I remembered that my city is like, 3rd worst in the nation for traffic, and it all made sense. It was that bad, I was just already used to thinking it was normal.
I’m from a very small town and that’s obviously where I learned to drive. A friend of mine spent her 16th summer in LA so that’s where she learned to drive. She was the craziest driver ever, we never allowed her to drive us anywhere. We had wide open spaces maybe one or two cars on the road at the same time and she still drove as if she were trying to rush along the 405. She’d tailgate, brake late, etc. It was not fun. And this was 40 years ago, LA drivers have only gotten worse.
I’ve lived in the Bay Area for 30 years I’m pretty sure I drive like an Angeleno now.